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American Apparel's founder and CEO, Dov Charney, is known for taking the brand to fame during the early 2000s with high-quality basics and dedication to US-based manufacturing. But behind his successful persona, claims of sexual harassment, workplace misconduct, and an unhealthy work culture fueled the chaos that led to his 2014 removal from the company.
As Netflix's documentary Trainwreck: The Cult of American Apparel is about to revisit this tale, there is renewed public interest in Charney's projects today. Charney is still actively involved in the fashion business. In 2016, he founded Los Angeles Apparel.
Directed by Sally Rose Griffiths, the documentary, which is a part of Netflix's Trainwreck anthology series, was released on July 1, 2025. Ben Rumney produced it. The documentary chronicles the brand's ascension and decline through former staff accounts, revealing the controversies that surrounded Charney's rule.
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Who is Dov Charney, and where is he now?
Dov Charney was born on January 31, 1969, in Montreal, Canada. He is a Canadian businessman who developed American Apparel in 1989. Raised in a Jewish household where his father was an architect and his mother an artist, Charney struggled in school with dyslexia and ADD, but discovered an interest in fashion.
American Apparel's mission under Charney focused on vertical integration and simple designs, catapulting the company to worldwide success with millions in revenue through 2014. But in December 2014, he was fired after complaints of s*xual misconduct, harassment, and misconduct in the workplace were made against him.
Charney had rejected these accusations, claiming they were fabricated to engineer his ousting, and he took legal action against American Apparel's parent company, which included a $30 million defamation claim that was thrown out in 2017.
Dov Charney currently lives in Los Angeles, where he started Los Angeles Apparel in 2016. The company is an indication of American Apparel's focus on US-made apparel.
In a 2017 interview with Bloomberg, Charney said that he has 350 employees and he ‘lived and slept’ at his new factory in South Central Los Angeles. However, in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic meant that Charney started manufacturing masks and medical gowns.
As per a July 1, 2025, report on Cosmopolitan, in 2022, Charney filed for bankruptcy. However, the company is still running.
In May 2025, Los Angeles Apparel began a new SoHo store in New York. Charney also collaborated with Kanye West's Yeezy brand, though he cut ties after West's antisemitic remarks were met with backlash.
Exploring the Legacy of American Apparel in Trainwreck: The Cult of American Apparel
Trainwreck: The Cult of American Apparel, released on July 1, 2025, as part of Netflix's Trainwreck anthology series. It explores the meteoric rise and spectacular downfall of American Apparel during Dov Charney's reign.
The documentary employs interviews with ex-employees, archival sequences, and company documents to create a rich canvas for the story of the brand. It captures the influence of American Apparel on 2000s youth culture with its iconic bold hues and Made in USA credos. It also sheds light on its questionable business practices, which existed, unbeknownst to many, behind the scenes.
Former staff recount a cult-like environment in which Charney's non-traditional management muddled professional lines, including stories of meetings conducted in his residence and improper interactions becoming commonplace.
The documentary chronicles the fiscal downfall, including American Apparel going bankrupt in 2015 and 2016, and Gildan Activewear eventually acquiring it in 2017, which outsourced production. It shows a balanced storyline, giving credit to Dov Charney's inventive vision while also touching on his misconduct at the workplace and serious allegations of harassment against him.
Watch Trainwreck: The Cult of American Apparel streaming on Netflix.
